Last week, in a rare showing of bipartisanship in Washington, the House of Representatives joined forces to pass common-sense reforms related to mortgages and housing loans. The Federal Housing Administration Reform Act, which sailed through the House nearly unanimously, will encourage responsible homeownership for those who can afford it, while rooting out and cracking down on lenders who make risky or fraudulent loans.

During last week’s congressional district work period, I spent time talking with business owners, workers, job seekers, and others about what we can do to turn our economy around. I cherish my time here because I never want to lose touch with the challenges and needs of the families who sent me to Washington to work for them. These conversations help supply me with many good ideas that I can take back to Washington.

Just last week the U.S. Treasury Department issued its “Annual Report on Public Debt” which confirmed that the national debt will soar to record levels. The report estimates that the total debt for fiscal year 2010 will reach $14.75 trillion which is over 93 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP). This current rate of government spending is having a crippling effect on our economy and overall job creation.

It’s not a secret that corporations are greedy, often contemptuous of workers, and always, always put profits before anything else. That’s nothing new. But the BP oil spill is a corporate crime that has no match anywhere else in the world.

Less than two weeks ago Bedford County Public Schools honored the district’s top teachers: Katherine West of Staunton River Middle School as the county’s top teacher overall; Amy Mallow of Huddleston Elementary as the county’s top elementary teacher; and Shawn Marie Horrell of Bedford Science and Technology Center as the top high school teacher. All three are deserving of their awards and they stand as true examples of the great quality of teachers this school system’s 10,500 students find on a daily basis in their classrooms.

The Magnificent Seven (I’m referring to the seven members of Bedford City Council) along with the City Manager are moving along over Bedford city’s determination to revert back to town status. Maybe its a good thing we don’t know. All proceedings are secret and they are not going to tell us anything. It’s all a secret.

Last week, we scored three major and long overdue victories for American workers. First, we closed the tax loophole that encourages corporations to ship jobs overseas. Second, we made investments in job creation by extending successful tax credits that support small business, research and development, biofuels, and workforce development. And third, we passed the America COMPETES Act that provides a big boost to the next generation of American manufacturing and agriculture. We also protected payments to doctors who participate in Medicare and veteran health care programs.

The Federal Trade Commission recently estimated that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. Identity thieves use identifying information such as a consumer’s Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information in order to conduct such fraud as opening up new credit cards and gaining access to bank accounts. The ramifications can be financially disastrous for citizens and can be extremely difficult to resolve.

BEDFORD - - D-Day this year turned out to be hot and stormy. Some of the Democrats inside the city’s party headquarters Sunday on Main Street had already heard their congressman, Tom Perriello, speak earlier at this year’s D-Day Memorial ceremonies.

I don’t yet know, as of this writing, who won yesterday’s Republican primary. There is one thing I do know, however: 5th Congressional District conservatives will need to unite behind the winner if they hope to unseat Congressman Tom Perriello in November.

If they don’t want to see Perriello back for another two years, Republican establishment types and TEA Party people are going to have to reconcile. The equivalent of a divorce will only give Perriello an easy path to reelection.

Each year for the past 22 years, the residents and friends of Smith Mountain Lake, our Community, have used the first Saturday of May as an annual “Take Pride in Smith Mountain Lake” cleanup day to make sure that our lake looks its very best for our Summer use and also for our visitors. It’s important for our businesses and also for our own enjoyment of the lake.

Next week, Republicans in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District will choose a nominee to face a Democratic congressman considered one of the “most vulnerable” incumbents in the country.

Numerous GOP candidates have emerged from various places in the district to win the nod against Tom Perriello, who beat the seemingly unbeatable Virgil Goode two years ago by less than one thousand votes.

A few years ago a visit by a delegation from the local American Legion post should have served warning on Dr. William McIntosh that a proposed bust of Joseph Stalin at the National D-Day Memorial would not be well received. He and the D-Day Memorial Foundation chose to proceed with the plan anyway. Jim Morrison’s well written column in last week’s Bedford Bulletin indicated why so many veterans are upset about that decision.

Today, the American people are facing one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history. Our economy remains sluggish, people fear losing their jobs and their homes, and many are worried about the future their children and grandchildren will inherit. They are deeply concerned about the outlook for our great country and wonder if their children will grow up in the same America they did. People are looking for solutions to the problems we face.

You’ve got to wonder just what’s going on at the White House and its administration these days, as well as with the Democrats in Congress.

The administration continues to attack Arizona’s new illegal immigration law without actually reading it, apologizes to world leaders of communist countries for “human rights violations” in this country and then applauds leaders who stand in our own halls of Congress to denounce this great country.

My husband and I have visited the National D-Day Memorial several times and we are still moved by what we see and by what was sacrificed by many young Americans during World War II.

Installing a bust of Stalin is totally against the mission of the memorial. We are almost moved to tears when we see the soldiers pulling themselves up the steep cliffs and crawling through the water to defend the United States in that D-Day landing.

When I came to Congress last year, I promised to fight for economic relief for my constituents, but also to change the way business is done in Washington. For far too long, both parties have answered to the special interests instead of to the people. Sometimes it can seem like Congress is not bound by the same rules as everyone else. It’s time to bring Main Street values of decency, openness, and accountability to the halls of Washington.

In recent days we've seen another tough economic blow for our friends and families in Southside Virginia.

Stanley Furniture, a fixture in Henry County for nearly 90 years, announced it will shutter its factory near Martinsville and relocate more than 560 jobs overseas by the end of this year.

That tough news came on the heels of promising job announcements by two smaller employers just a few weeks earlier. In too many of our rural regions, it seems we take one step forward -- and then two steps back.